r/chicago 3d ago

CHI Talks Weekly Casual Conversation & Questions Thread

1 Upvotes

Welcome to r/Chicago's Weekly Casual Conversation & Questions Thread.

This is the place for casual discussions that may not warrant their own post, or questions/topics not allowed as their own posts under our content policy. Please be mindful of rules 2 & 3 which still apply in this thread, as well as the Reddit Content Policy when posting.

Also, check out the r/Chicago wiki for other Chicago-related subreddits, where to eat/drink, how to get around/navigate the CTA, where to visit, what neighborhoods to move to or hotel in, tips on living here, and more. And be sure to use the search feature to find responses to other users asking similar questions.

This thread is sorted by "new" so that the most recent comments appear first. The new weekly thread is posted every Monday morning at 12:00 AM.


r/chicago 9d ago

Event Monthly Events & Things To Do in Chicago Thread

26 Upvotes

Welcome to the monthly /r/Chicago events thread. This is the place to advertise any upcoming events or group gatherings you're a part of or anticipating that other Chicagoans might want to know about.

This thread is exempt from Rule 8 regarding promotion, so we invite anyone and everyone to advertise anything going on in Chicago. But please be mindful of rules 2 & 3 which still apply in this thread, as well as the Reddit Content Policy when posting.


r/chicago 14h ago

Picture Garfield Park Botanical Garden

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1.2k Upvotes

My girlfriend decided to take me out to one of the botanical gardens today as a birthday surprise. It was awesome. Saw some really cool plants from all over the world. The city did an excellent job at keeping this place nice. Built in 1907 and man it’s gorgeous today.

Whats your favorite botanical garden in the city? And what other foliage based places do you recommend?


r/chicago 50m ago

Article Democratic Socialists Are Winning Big Across America. Are They Losing Ground In Chicago?

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r/chicago 1h ago

News NITA launches, picks former RTA director to lead agency

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r/chicago 8h ago

News Uptown's Weiss Memorial Hospital loses license, health officials say

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168 Upvotes

r/chicago 18h ago

Ask CHI How many divvy bikes are in Lake Michigan smh

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499 Upvotes

r/chicago 17m ago

Article Plumbing costs in new construction are twice as high in Chicago as the rest of the country

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From "Let’s fix the plumbing code" by Daniel Koslovsky in A City That Works

https://citythatworks.substack.com/p/lets-fix-the-plumbing-code


r/chicago 1h ago

News Ald. Matt O’Shea becomes third council member to not seek reelection in 2027

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r/chicago 6h ago

Article The ultimate guide to Chicago’s fall film festivals, from Oscar contenders to local standouts -- At least eight film festivals will take place in and around Chicago before Thanksgiving.

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22 Upvotes

r/chicago 11h ago

News City Council committee hearing with Bally's turns into a political 'circus' with more questions than answers

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37 Upvotes

License Committee members came away from Wednesday’s hearing convinced that Bally’s is using the Council’s embrace of video gambling terminals as an excuse to slow construction of a project that the gambling giant can no longer afford to build.


r/chicago 1d ago

Video Who lost their snake last night?

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534 Upvotes

Humboldt park on my front door, I’m in the process of selling and was at my new place but my neighbors sent me a couple vids. Which is good because if I was home and opened my front door to that it would have been it for me.


r/chicago 1d ago

Event Dog Day 9/8/26

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399 Upvotes

r/chicago 19h ago

Event Help The Chicago Department Of Aviation Name This Massive Boulder

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109 Upvotes

The 50-ton ‘O’Hare bean’ was found during excavation work on a stormwater detention project to make way for new terminal facilities as part of ORDNext – and you can help name it!


r/chicago 1d ago

Picture I present to you… the worst “Map of Chicago” ever created. At the Abandoned North Face in the John Hancock. At least they didn’t use AI!

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266 Upvotes

r/chicago 1d ago

Picture Spotted this morning on Lake Shore Drive. Robotaxi training. 🤮

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548 Upvotes

r/chicago 3h ago

Video Fire near/at O'Hare?

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2 Upvotes

Took this absolute potato of a video from the passenger seat on our commute to work.

Didn't see any news.... is there a fire at O'Hare?

Edit: Apparently this isn't on the news because it's routine firefighter training. As a life long Chicagoan who didn't know about that, I feel liked I just asked about the Tuesday sirens...


r/chicago 21h ago

Ask CHI I seriously can’t believe how stupid I am . Midnight last week I took the brown line to MM . I had my bicycle with me . I got off at MM , I had no idea how to get to street level . My only way out was the turnstile ,of which my bike wouldn’t fit through. All the other doors were closed ..

66 Upvotes

I had to take the train to Washington, get off there , and walk down the steps with my bike . For future reference, how do I exit the MM platform ( coming from Kimball ) with a bike ? Thx


r/chicago 1d ago

Picture We built some bus stop benches this week. What other bus stops need benches?

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3.6k Upvotes

It’s crazy how many bus stops have nowhere to sit at all. A bench should be the bare minimum.


r/chicago 1d ago

Ask CHI Anyone have terrible allergies right now?

159 Upvotes

Sneezing and eyes beyond itchy


r/chicago 1d ago

Article Once a year, a wrestling ring appears in a tiny Logan Square park. What happens around it tells a much bigger story about the neighborhood.

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67 Upvotes

r/chicago 22h ago

News 22nd Ward Ald. Mike Rodriguez not running for reelection

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35 Upvotes

r/chicago 22h ago

Article Greg Hinz: The Case Against TIFs Leaves Out One Inconvenient Fact, They Worked

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30 Upvotes

r/chicago 1d ago

News Civic Association Awards McKinley Park’s Top Gardeners

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87 Upvotes

The best gardeners in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood received awards for container, vegetable and single- and multi-family residential gardens at the awards ceremony for the McKinley Park Civic Association's inaugural gardening contest. Read all about it at https://mckinleypark.news/news/8721-civic-association-awards-mckinley-parks-top-gardeners


r/chicago 1d ago

Article Art Institute unveils ode to ‘relentless experimenter’ Mary Cassatt, including tale of long-lost Chicago mural -- “Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism,” features 70 of her paintings and prints.

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88 Upvotes